Recliner with vertically movable headrest

ABSTRACT

A reclining chair assembly comprising: a support structure; body support means, at least a portion of which is movably supported by the support structure; headrest means movably supported on the support structure; and motion transmitting means for moving the headrest means in response to the movement of the body support means.

United States Patent Goff et al. 1 Sept. 17, 1974 [54] RECLINER WITHVERTICALLY MOVABLE 2,765,840 10/1956 Robert et al 297 410 X HEADREST3,057,657 10/1962 Fletcher 297/61 3,057,658 10/1962 Winick.... 297/3l7 X[75] Inventors: McKinley Goff, Middletown; D na 3,140,117 7/1964Fletcher 297/61 Crum, Louisville, both of Ky. 3,594,037 7/1971 Sherman297/61 X 19 L [73] Asslgneez Mlddletown Manufacturing Co., R25 375 4/ 63Orenz 297/61 lnc., Simpsonville, Ky. Primary ExaminerJames T. McCall[22] Flled: 1972 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Wood, Herron & Evans [21]Appl. No.: 309,586

[57] ABSTRACT [52] U.S. Cl. 297/391, 297/61 51 1111. C1. A47c 1/10 Areclmmg assembly cOmPnsmg: Support Field of Search 297/6l' 91 391 68structure; body support means, at least a portion of 297/112 89 85 3which is movably supported by the support structure; 248/1l8 headrestmeans movably supported on the support structure; and motiontransmitting means for moving [56] References Cited the headrest meansin response to the movement of UNITED STATES PATENTS the body Supportmeans 242,733 6/1881 Yengling 297/61 19 Claims, 3 Drawing FiguresRECLINER WITH VERTICALLY MOVABLE HEADREST This invention relates to anarticle of furniture and specifically'to an article of furnituregenerally known as a recliner chair. Recliner chairs of the typereferred to usually include a body support portion comprising a backrestand seat portion movably mounted on a stationary support structure and aheadrest movable between a retracted and an extended position inresponse to the movement of the body support portion. Furthermore, afootrest portion is normally provided which is also movable from aretracted to an extended position when the body support portion is movedto the reclining position.

Heretofore, the headrest portion of recliner chairs have been mounted onthe backrest of the body support portion with suitable linkage providedto move the headrest from a retracted to an extended position when thebody support portion is moved to the reclining position. To move thebody support portion to the reclining position, the body support portionis pivoted rearwardly with respect to the support structure such thatthe backrest and headrest moves from a substantially vertical, uprightposition over the support structure to a position in which the backrestand headrest extend at an oblique angle rearwardly of the supportstructure. A recliner chair employing this type of movement is shown inthe US. Pat. No. Re25,375.

The major disadvantage associated with recliner chairs of the generaltype as described above, and illustrated in the US. Pat. No. Re25,375,is that the backrest must move rearwardly of the support structurethereby requiring space behind the recliner chair to accommodate suchmovement. Since the headrest is mounted on the backrest, and isextensible therefrom when the body support portion is moved to thereclining position, additional space behind the recliner chair must beavailable to also accommodate the headrest. It is necessary, therefore,to place the recliner chair in a position such that the recliningmovement of the body support portion is not restricted. In other words,if the recliner chair is to be placed in a room, it must be placed awayfrom the walls thereof or spaced from any other object which wouldhinder the reclining movement of the chair.

The additional space required to accommodate the reclining movement ofthe chair is wasted when the recliner chair is not in the recliningposition. The amount of space wasted is relatively large since thecommon recliner chair must be spaced a distance of three or more feetaway from a wall or other obstruction. Since recliner chairs arearticles of furniture, they are chosen for their aesthetic as well astheir functional value and are arranged in an area in such a manner asto be useful and pleasing to the eye. It is, therefore, oftentimesimpossible to include a recliner chair in a particular furniturearrangement because the available furniture space is insufficient toprovide the additional space required for a recliner chair. It is notedthat a recliner chair as heretofore manufactured may be placed in thesame position as a standard chair, to wit, immediately adjacent a wallor object, and thereafter may be pulled away from a wall or objectwhenever it is desired to move the chair to the reclining position;however, this procedure is inconvenient and undesirable at best.

It is. therefore, an object and feature of the instant invention toprovide a reclining chair assembly comprising: a support structure; bodysupport means; at least a portion of which is movably supported by thesupport structure; headrest means movably supported on the supportstructure; and motion transmitting means for moving the headrest meansin response to the movement of the body support means.

In accordance with the foregoing object and feature, it is anotherobject and feature of the instant invention to provide a reclining chairassembly wherein the movably supported portion is movable between afirst and second position with respect to the support structure, theheadrest means being disposed in a retracted position when the positionis in the first position and disposed in an extended position when theportion is in the second position, the headrest means maintainingsubstantially the same angular relationship with respect to the supportstructure in both of the positions.

It is another object and feature of the instant invention to providemounting means for movably supporting the headrest means on the supportstructure above the body support means for substantially verticalmovement relative thereto.

Other objects and attendant advantages of the present invention will bereadily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by referenceto the following detailed description when considered in connection withthe accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the instantinvention in an extended position;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view similar to FIG. I with the instantinvention in a retracted position; and,

FIG. 3 is an elevational and phantom view of a preferred embodiment ofthe instant invention.

Referring to the drawings a reclining chair assembly is generally shownat 10. The reclining chair assembly 10 includes a normally stationarysupport structure generally indicated at 12 having two laterally spacedside portions 14 (only one of which is shown). Body support meansgenerally indicated at 16 is disposed between the laterally spaced sideportions 14 and movably supported by the support structure 12. The bodysupport means 16 includes a backrest portion 17 and a seat portion 19and is adapted for movement between a first, upright position and asecond, reclining position which movement is facilitated by linkagemeans generally indicated at 18. The linkage means 18 is pivotallyconnected to the body support structure 16 and to the support structure12. The reclining chair assembly 10 further includes footrest meansgenerally indicated at 20 which is movable from a retracted to anextended position in response to the movement of the body support means16 from the first to the second position.

The linkage means 18, as well as the footrest means 20 and the operationthereof, are explained and set forth in US. Pat. No. 3,282,626 and,therefore, the specific details of these features will not be set forthherein. Suffice it to say however, that the linkage means 18 enables thebody support means 16 to move from an upright position, as shown in FIG.2, to a reclining position, as shown in FIG. 1, by rotating the handlemember 22 in a clockwise direction. Note that in moving from the uprightto the reclining position the body support means 16 moves forwardly anddownwardly with respect to the support structure 12 such that theforward edge of the seat portion 17 agles upwardly and the top edge ofthe backrest portion 19 angles rearwardly. The footrest means 20 issimultaneously moved from its retracted position, as shown in FIG. 2, toits extended position as shown in FIG. 1. Moving the handle member 22 ina counter-clockwise direction will of course reverse the operation,moving the body support means 16 back to the upright position as well asmoving the footrest means 20 to the retracted position.

As is customary in chair constructions of this type, the side portion 14of the support structure 12 includes a front rail 24, a back rail 26, atop rail 28, and a bottom rail 30. Leg members 32 are attached to thebottom rail and a wing 34 may be attached between the top rail 28 andthe back rail 26 to complete the chair construction. It is noted thatthe bare frame is then covered with padding, upholstery, and othersuitable material to complete the chair construction.

A headrest means 36 is supported on the back rail 26 of the supportstructure 12. The headrest means 36 is thereby movably supported on thesupport structure 12 rather than on the body support means 16 and isadapted to move by motion transmitting means generally indicated at 38.The motion transmitting means 38 moves the headrest means 36 in responseto the movement of the body support means 16. As hereinbefore stated,the body support means 16 is movable between a first and second positionwith respect to the support structure 12. The headrest means 36 isdisposed in a retracted position when the body support means 16 is inthe first or upright position and the headrest means 36 is disposed inan extended position when the body support means 16 is in the second orreclining position. Because the headrest means 36 is mounted on thesupport structure 12 it will always maintain substantially the sameangular relationship with respect to the support structure 12 in both ofsaid positions. In other words, although the headrest means 36 ismovable in response to the movement of the body support means 16 theangular position of the headrest means 36 with respect to the supportstructure 12 is not dependent upon the position of the body supportmeans 16.

To facilitate the mounting of the headrest means 36 on the supportstructure, the support structure includes a mounting means generallyindicated at 40. The mounting means 40 movably supports the headrestmeans 36 on the support structure 12 above the backrest portion 17 forsubstantially vertical movement relative thereto. The mounting means 40includes a mounting bracket 41 slidably supporting a support arm 42which supports the headrest means 36. The support arm 42 is slidablyheld and supported on the mounting bracket 41 by slidable connectionmeans comprising a plurality of guide pins 44. The guide pins 44 may bemade of any suitable roller or plastic bushing secured to the mountingbracket 41 and disposed on either side of the support arm 42 and insliding relation therewith to facilitate substantially unrestrictedguide movement of the support arm 42. It is also contemplated that theslidable connection means may take on the form of a slot and pinconnection. In this construction the support arm 42 would be providedwith a longitudinal slot in the center thereof through which two or moreof the guide pins extend.

The motion transmitting means 38 includes a doublearmed lever 46 mountedfor pivotal movement with respect to the support structure 12. Thedouble-armed lever 46 is pivotally mounted to the mounting plate 41 by apin 48. The motion transmitting means 38 also includes a first linkmember 50 pivotally connecting one end of the double-armed lever 46 tothe support arm 42 and a second link member 52 pivotally connecting asecond end of the double-armed lever 46 to the movably supported bodysupport means 16. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 the second link member 52 ispivotally connected to the seat portion 19, which pivotal connection isfacilitated by providing a connecting bracket 54. The connecting bracket54 includes a laterally inwardly extending flange 56 which is secured tothe rear of the seat portion 19. It is noted that the backrest portion17 is integrally connected to the seat portion 19 for movement in unisontherewith, therefore, the connecting bracket 54 may be connected to thebackrest portion 17 if desired.

By way of summary, when the body support means 16 is moved from theupright to the reclining position, the second link member 52 causes thedouble-armed lever 46 to pivot about pin 48. The pivotal motion of thedouble-armed lever 46 moves the first link member 50 upwardly therebyforcing support arm 42 upwardly along the path defined by the guide pins44. This motion is also shown in FIG. 3 wherein the solid lines indicatethe position of elements when the headrest means 36 is in the retractedposition and the broken lines indicate the position of elements in theextended position. The angular relationship between the headrest 36 andthe support structure 12 remains substantially the same regardless ofthe position of the body support means 16. Furthermore, because theheadrest 36 is moving substantially vertically, that is. having littleor no component of rearward movement, the back of the reclining chairassembly 10 may be disposed immediately adjacent a wall or other objectswithout interfering with the reclining movement thereof. As shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 no additional space is required behind the reclining chairassembly 10 when the body support means 16 is moved from the upright tothe reclining position.

The invention has been described in an illustrative manner, and it is tobe understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to bein the nature of words of description rather than of limitation.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present inventionare possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to beunderstood that within the scope of the appended claims, the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

l. A reclining chair assembly comprising,

a support structure.

body support means, at least a portion of which is movably supported bysaid support structure.

a headrest mounted for substantially vertical movement on said supportstructure,

a recliner linkage connecting said body support means to said supportstructure to permit movement of said body support means between anupright position and a reclining position,

and a headrest linkage fixedly mounted to said support structure andincluding means interconnecting said body support means and saidheadrest to cause said headrest to move vertically upwardly as said bodysupport means moves from an upright position to a reclined position,whereby to permit said chair to shift to a reclining position withextended headrest without rearward projection of the chair structure.

2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said interconnectingmeans includes a support arm connected to said headrest means andslidable connection means for slidably connecting said support arm tosaid support structure.

3. An assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein said interconnectingmeans includes a double-armed lever mounted for pivotal movement withrespect to said support structure.

4. An assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein said interconnectingmeans includes a first link member connecting one end of saiddouble-armed lever to said support arm and a second link memberconnecting a second end of said double-armed lever to said movablysupported portion, said first and second link members being adapted forpivotal movement.

5. An assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein said interconnectingmeans includes a mounting plate fastened to said support structure.

6. An assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein said double-armed leveris pivotally mounted to said mounting plate.

7. An assembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein said slidable connectionmeans includes guide pins for guiding the movement of said support arm.

8. An assembly as set forth in claim 7 including four guide pins, two ofsaid guide pins being disposed on either side of said support arm and insliding relation therewith to facilitate substantially unrestrictedguided movement of said support arm.

9. An assembly as set forth in claim 8 wherein said movably supportedportion to which said second link member is connected comprises saidseat portion.

10. An assembly as set forth in claim 9 wherein said backrest portion isintegrally connected to said seat portion for movement therewith.

11. An assembly as set forth in claim 10 including a connecting bracketfor pivotally connecting said second link member to said seat portion.

12. In a recliner chair having a fixed support structure, body supportmeans movably supported on said structure for movement between areclined and an upright position, and a headrest. an assembly fortransmitting motion to said headrest comprising.

a mounting plate fixed to said support structure,

linearly and vertically movable means movably mounted on said mountingplate,

said headrest being supported on said linearly movable means,

lever means pivotally mounted on said mounting plate.

means connecting said lever means to said body support means forpivoting said lever means upon movement of said body support means withrespect to said support structure.

and means connecting said lever means to said linearly movable meanswhereby said linearly movable means and said headrest are adapted tomove in response to the movement of said body support means.

13. An assembly as set forth in claim 12 wherein said linearly movablemeans includes an arm pivotally connected to said lever means.

14. An assembly as set forth in claim 13 wherein said mounting plateincludes guide pins for guiding the movement of said arm.

15. An assembly as set forth in claim 13 wherein said mounting plateincludes four guide pins. two of said guide pins being disposed on eachside of said arm for guiding the movement thereof.

16. An assembly as set forth in claim 14 wherein said lever meansincludes a double-armed lever.

17. An assembly as set forth in claim 16 wherein said connecting meansincludes a connecting link pivotally connected to one end of saiddouble-armed lever and to said arm.

18. An assembly as set forth in claim 17 wherein said means for pivotingsaid lever means includes a link member pivotally connected to anotherend of said double-armed lever.

19. An assembly as set forth in claim 18 wherein said link memberincludes a connecting bracket for connecting said link member to a primemover.

1. A reclining chair assembly comprising, a support structure, bodysupport means, at least a portion of which is movably supported by saidsupport structure, a headrest mounted for substantially verticalmovement on said support structure, a recliner linkage connecting saidbody support means to said support structure to permit movement of saidbody support means between an upright position and a reclining position,and a headrest linkage fixedly mounted to said support structure andincluding means interconnecting said body support means and saidheadrest to cause said headrest to move vertically upwardly as said bodysupport means moves from an upright position to a reclined position,whereby to permit said chair to shift to a reclining position withextended headrest without rearward projection of the chair structure. 2.An assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein said interconnecting meansincludes a support arm connected to said headrest means and slidableconnection means for slidably connecting said support arm to saidsupport structure.
 3. An assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein saidinterconnecting means includes a double-armed lever mounted for pivotalmovement with respect to said support structure.
 4. An assembly as setforth in claim 3 wherein said interconnecting means includes a firstlink member connecting one end of said double-armed lever to saidsupport arm and a second link member connecting a second end of saiddouble-armed lever to said movably supported portion, said first andsecond link members being adapted for pivotal movement.
 5. An assemblyas set forth in claim 4 wherein said interconnecting means includes amounting plate fastened to said support structure.
 6. An assembly as setforth in claim 5 wherein said double-armed lever is pivotally mounted tosaid mounting plate.
 7. An aSsembly as set forth in claim 6 wherein saidslidable connection means includes guide pins for guiding the movementof said support arm.
 8. An assembly as set forth in claim 7 includingfour guide pins, two of said guide pins being disposed on either side ofsaid support arm and in sliding relation therewith to facilitatesubstantially unrestricted guided movement of said support arm.
 9. Anassembly as set forth in claim 8 wherein said movably supported portionto which said second link member is connected comprises said seatportion.
 10. An assembly as set forth in claim 9 wherein said backrestportion is integrally connected to said seat portion for movementtherewith.
 11. An assembly as set forth in claim 10 including aconnecting bracket for pivotally connecting said second link member tosaid seat portion.
 12. In a recliner chair having a fixed supportstructure, body support means movably supported on said structure formovement between a reclined and an upright position, and a headrest, anassembly for transmitting motion to said headrest comprising, a mountingplate fixed to said support structure, linearly and vertically movablemeans movably mounted on said mounting plate, said headrest beingsupported on said linearly movable means, lever means pivotally mountedon said mounting plate, means connecting said lever means to said bodysupport means for pivoting said lever means upon movement of said bodysupport means with respect to said support structure, and meansconnecting said lever means to said linearly movable means whereby saidlinearly movable means and said headrest are adapted to move in responseto the movement of said body support means.
 13. An assembly as set forthin claim 12 wherein said linearly movable means includes an armpivotally connected to said lever means.
 14. An assembly as set forth inclaim 13 wherein said mounting plate includes guide pins for guiding themovement of said arm.
 15. An assembly as set forth in claim 13 whereinsaid mounting plate includes four guide pins, two of said guide pinsbeing disposed on each side of said arm for guiding the movementthereof.
 16. An assembly as set forth in claim 14 wherein said levermeans includes a double-armed lever.
 17. An assembly as set forth inclaim 16 wherein said connecting means includes a connecting linkpivotally connected to one end of said double-armed lever and to saidarm.
 18. An assembly as set forth in claim 17 wherein said means forpivoting said lever means includes a link member pivotally connected toanother end of said double-armed lever.
 19. An assembly as set forth inclaim 18 wherein said link member includes a connecting bracket forconnecting said link member to a prime mover.